Obama Will not Reassure America by Naming Klain Ebola Czar

The gaffs, confusion and contradictary statements coming from US officials trying to coordinate the Ebola crisis continue. It now seems that, despite what CDC and some military officials, as well as Obama administration spokesmen, have been saying, American medics will, indeed, treat infected healthcare workers in West Africa. US Major General Darryl Williams, who is overseeing the US military response in West Africa, attempted to renew assurances that there are no plans for American troops to treat Liberians infected by Ebola -- BUT a team of 65 doctors and nurses from the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, will staff a 25-bed hospital built by the military. They will actually be involved in the care and feeding of healthcare workers who have been inflicted with the Ebola virus,” Williams said in a teleconference from Liberia. The General’s remarks highlight questionable distinctions and apparent contradictions, or simple confusion, on the part of top defense and health officials. Another General, David Rodriguez, had earlier said that troops would only work with Ebola samples during testing, “clarifying” a statement that a handful American troops would have direct contact with potential Ebola patients. These comments from the military are in contrast to earlier comments made today by the director of the CDC, who said that the Defense Department had told him there were no plans for military personnel to actively treat Ebola patients. Major General Williams’ remarks contradict these statements. He admitted there was risk, saying : “I would not say there’s no risk. But there is risk that can be tampered down if you take the appropriate discipline and use the protocols.” Concerning the handful of specialists who are testing samples, Williams said : “That’s probably the closest it comes [for the US military to be in contact] to the Ebola virus chain.” The apparent distinction Williams makes is that the US medics report to the US Department of Health and Human Services – and not the military, technically, although they are one of America's seven uniformed services whose current leader is a Rear Admiral. ~~~~~ Meanwhile, the Texas health department has taken the lead, ordering any person who entered the room of the first Ebola patient at a Dallas hospital not to travel by public transport, including planes ship, buses or trains, or visit grocery stores, restaurants or theaters for 21 days, until the danger of developing Ebola has passed. The instructions, issued by the Texas Department of State Health Service late Thursday, cover more than 70 health workers involved in providing care for Thomas Duncan, the Liberian national who became the first patient to test positive for Ebola in the United States and who died on October 8 in the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The hospital workers were ordered to undergo monitoring twice a day, including one face-to-face encounter. The health department said anyone failing to adhere to the rules "may be subject to a communicable disease control order." The health workers were asked to sign a written acknowledgement of the directions when they appear for monitoring. The new rules were issued in the wake of reports that one of the hospital nurses who treated Duncan -- 29- year-old Amber Vinson -- later flew to Cleveland and then took a return flight Oct. 13 on Frontier Airlines despite having a low-grade fever, indicating the possible onset of Ebola. Until today, workers involved in the Duncan case had only been asked to self-monitor for symptoms of infection after two nurses were diagnosed with the virus The order, signed by David Lakey, commissioner of the state health department, said any of the health-care workers affected can stay at the hospital to facilitate monitoring for the three-week period. Another healthcare worker who had contact with Duncan lab samples was found by tbe CDC on a Carnival Cruise Line ship in tbe Caribbean. This person has been quarantined on the ship, which has been refused permission by Belize to send her to Belize City for evacuation to the US. ~~~~~ The CDC is now contacting all passengers of Frontier Flight 1143 used by Dallas nurse Amber Vinson to return from Cleveland to Dallas after telling her CDC contact that she had a temperature of 99.5°F. ~~~~~ Despite the growing number of Americans who have come in contact with healthcare workers in the Dallas hospital, doctors who are specialists in infectious diseases are trying to calm fears of a spread of the virus. Dr. William Schaffner, chair of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, told ABC News : "The issue is with the healthcare workers at the hospital in Dallas who were exposed while caring for a sick individual. The average person does not have to be concerned." This is echoed by Dr. Frieden, CDC director, who acknowledges that there are likely to be further Ebola cases among the health care workers who treated Thomas Duncan, but remains confident that the infection will travel no further : "Ebola is hard to fight, but we know how to fight it and how to beat it. The situation changes every day. We're always going to be open with what we know, share more rather than less. We're going to put in extra measures of safety to protect Americans," he said in a press briefing yesterday. ~~~~~ Dear readers, we are now seeing the negative fallout in America of a federal government and President who have lost the confidence of their citizens. Perhaps Dr. Freiden and the CDC are right. -- perhaps they know how to control the Ebola virus -- perhaps their actions will prevent an epidemic in the US -- perhaps. But many Americans have the feeling that President Obama and the CDC and Dr. Freiden are not in control, that they are disorganized and "behind the curve" when dealing with Ebola. This widespread skepticism can be traced directly back to the skepticism Americans now feel about anything President Obama says. He is mistrusted and his motives and truthfulness are questioned. So, now that Americans need to be reassured, not about political and foreign policy issues, but about a health danger that, even with the most trusted of Presidents, would still be 70/% fatal and with no known medicine to cure it. And, just when Americans are hoping and demanding that someone take charge and use US resources correctly to protect the nation - we get the leaked information that President Obama will in fact appoint an Ebola Czar. But, hope and trust are once more being crushed. The President will appoint Ron Klain, who served as chief of staff to vice presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, to be the new "Ebola czar" to coordinate government response to the medical emergency. Klain is not a doctor, has no healthcare industry experience, has no background as a military logistics officer. He is an ex-politico. Klain is now President of Case Holdings and General Counsel of Revolution, an investment group. He clerked for the US Supreme Court. He headed up Gore's effort during the 2000 Florida recount - so we know he can lose a battle over hanging chads. Klain is highly regarded at the White House - something even Democrats are now running away from - which sees him as a good manager with excellent relationships both in the administration and on Capitol Hill - neither of which are Ebola hotpoints. He supervised the allocation of funds in the stimulus act - a $700 Billion giveaway that most Americans still see as a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. So, once more, we see the "we inside the White House can do everything" approach that has destroyed Barack Obama's credibility with Americans at work on the Ebola crisis. I hope Ron Klain succeeds. But experience tells me that he will be just one more voice in the chaotic cacophony that characterizes the Obama approach to government -- and now to Ebola.